Party leader McCarthy needs 218 votes to become chairman if parliamentarians do not abstain. He is supported in every vote by just over 200 party members, about twenty others always vote for others. One of them voted on Thursday during the two rounds of voting for former President Donald Trump, who previously called on Republicans to support McCarthy.
The group of dissidents believes McCarthy is not conservative enough and thinks he would be too willing to cut deals with the Democrats, who rule the Senate and White House. Despite new concessions, McCarthy also failed to secure the presidency on Thursday, while the appointment of a chairman is usually regarded as a formality.
The House met for the first time in a new composition on Tuesday. Without a chairman, the parliamentarians cannot be sworn in. The Republican Party won more seats than the Democrats in last year’s midterm elections. The Democratic Party is uniting behind its presidential candidate Hakeem Jeffries in the ballots.